


it's always darkest before the dawn

by kopycat_101



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: AppealShipping, Character Study, Comfort, F/F, Female Friendship, Femslash, Femslash February, Fluff, Friendship, Gen or Pre-Slash, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Character, Let's go lesbians!, POV Lesbian Character, Pokemon Contests, Pre-Femslash, Pre-Relationship, Tears, Zoey is a useless lesbian for Dawn, but I wanted it to be known, but also cute baby wlw fluff, lesbian!Zoey, specifically demi!Dawn tho that isnt mentioned in this fic, wlw, wlw!Dawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: She struggles, and she fails, and she cries, just like anyone else. Every time she steps onto the stage of a Contest, it isn’t an automatic victory, a foregone conclusion, like the world will bow down to the weight of a goddess.Because Dawn is only human, just like everyone else.It breaks Zoey’s heart every time she sees Dawn lose.Zoey reminisces on her feelings for Dawn, on all the pieces that make her amazing, even when Dawn's heartbroken and in need of a hug.
Relationships: Hikari | Dawn & Nozomi | Zoey, Hikari | Dawn/Nozomi | Zoey
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	it's always darkest before the dawn

**Author's Note:**

> I've been too busy to write much but? I couldn't let Femslash February pass me by without writing something!
> 
> More Appealshipping for the soul…loved them since I was a baby gay myself. They’re the ultimate butch/femme lesbians. Hope ya’ll enjoy almost 1500 words of wlw fluff!
> 
> Title from Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine.

Dawn’s as brilliant as her name.

Doe-like eyes glimmering, wide and blue like the vast sky. Perfect pearly teeth in a bright smile, cupids-bow lips rosy-pink. Her dark-blue hair all but glows when it catches the sunlight, a waterfall down her back and framing her heart-shaped face.

Though Zoey can admit that Dawn is a very pretty girl—she’s got _eyes_ , you know, aside from the very obvious fact that she likes other girls—that’s not just all there is to her. She’s more than just a pretty face.

Dawn is incredibly sweet, and peppy, and _vibrant_ in a way that most people aren’t. She’s so full of life, always with a smile ready, like it’s her default to be kind, to be compassionate. To so guilelessly wear her golden heart on her sleeve, so unafraid to be open. Her blue eyes turn fiery when she’s determined, but she’s never cruel or arrogant about it, about following her passions.

Dawn gives things her all. It’s a fact about her that’s easy to see. In everything she does, if she’s set her mind to it, she’ll try to do her best.

Even when she fails, she gets back up.

And there are times where she fails. Dawn isn’t perfect, isn’t infallible, like a princess from a fairytale. People don’t drop everything they’re doing for her to admire her, as if she’s a character in a movie.

Dawn can have a temper, and she can get whiny, and she gets discouraged. Just like any other person, really. She’s not a perfect doll, even if her appearance is always impeccably put-together, her skin flawless and her hair silky and her lips kissable-pink. It’s like she’s _made_ to be on stage, to be a Coordinator. With a legacy laid out by her mother, Dawn was born for it, this life of spotlights and glamour and glory.

Often enough, Zoey is on the other side of the stage against Dawn during a Contest. Sometimes, Zoey wins. Sometimes, Dawn does.

Zoey doesn’t let loss weigh her down. Each loss is an opportunity, a lesson in how she can improve. She can take a step back and analyze, building a fortress around her heart, so that the loss is only a sting of disappointment instead of a full-on heartbreak. She’s good at that; compartmentalizing and moving on.

And every time she loses to Dawn, well…It’s not much of a loss at all, to see the girl she’s come to care for so much basking in the light of victory, a new ribbon to her name.

Dawn’s smile is worth any loss Zoey takes. It’s always like watching the sunrise or being warmed on a nice summer day. Zoey can never be disappointed or sad about losing to Dawn. Each smile of Dawn’s is an absolute pleasure to see, each one equally precious that Zoey will remember to keep close to her heart.

It’s cheesy, but it’s true.

There are times when Dawn isn’t at her best, of course. Times where she loses, when her Pokémon or her strategies just weren’t enough.

She struggles, and she fails, and she cries, just like anyone else. Every time she steps onto the stage of a Contest, it isn’t an automatic victory, a foregone conclusion, like the world will bow down to the weight of a goddess.

Because Dawn is only human, just like everyone else.

It breaks Zoey’s heart every time she sees Dawn lose. The smile wiped from her face, replaced by a crestfallen look. Looking absolutely crushed and devastated, before trying to swallow down her disappointment, her blue eyes wide and shiny with unshed tears.

Then Dawn will run off to seclude herself and cry, and it’s heartbreaking every time.

Typically, Zoey isn’t there for this. Either she’s just watching Dawn’s matches on the TV, cities away. Or she forces herself from rushing to the other’s side as Dawn darts past her in the Contest hall, to give the girl her space. Let her break down and bawl and pull herself together on her own terms.

But Zoey will still see the grief and self-doubt dimming the vibrant blue of her eyes, see the rough and reddened skin around them, the blotchiness of her face. The way Dawn’s posture goes from open and confident to closed off, curled into herself, like she’s trying to protect her own vulnerability.

It hurts Zoey every time to see. Like her own heart is cracking, not just Dawn’s.

And she’ll carefully grab Dawn’s shoulders, rub them slowly as she gives Dawn encouragement and comfort. Makes sure to support her as she can without crowding her, in case Dawn doesn’t want to talk about it, to break down again.

She never pushes for a hug from Dawn. Zoey in general isn’t a very physically affectionate person, for one, and two, a hug could tip Dawn over the precarious edge of her emotions if she’s not ready for it.

But when Dawn wants to, when she’s ready, she’ll tug on Zoey’s arm and bring her into a hug. Gentle and tentative at first, as if thinking Zoey will object, before she wraps her arms tight around Zoey and squeezes with all her strength.

Dawn will bury her face in Zoey’s collarbone, and Zoey will wrap her arms around Dawn’s back, wishing to shield her from the all the pain the world can inflict on her, this bright and kind girl. She’ll lay her cheek on Dawn’s silky hair—taller than the other girl, always taller, and in the perfect position to do so. Her heart thuds staccato, no doubt loud and frantic enough that even Dawn could hear, with her face pressed into the warmth of the space between her neck and chest.

If Dawn wets Zoey’s shirt with her tears, her fingers clutching knuckle-white against the back of Zoey’s orange vest, she’ll let her. If Dawn doesn’t cry, just wants to soak in the warmth and comfort of Zoey’s embrace, bury her face and breathe in the awful musk of Zoey’s scent to ground herself, she’ll let her down that too.

A bolt of electricity always falls down her spine when she’s this close to Dawn, but when she’s comforting the other girl, it will always temper out to a slow and steady campfire. Even if Dawn’s body is pressed flushed against her own— the scent of vanilla heady on her skin and in her hair, her body’s curves much softer and fuller than Zoey’s own— she tries her best not to think about it. Tries not to let her mind spiral, so she won’t foil Dawn’s explicit trust in her.

They’re both girls, so it’s not like they can’t be affectionate, but... But most girls don’t like other girls romantically, and Zoey doesn’t know if Dawn likes girls in that way at all. She doesn’t want to look too deep into things, or be too clingy, and end up making Dawn uncomfortable.

It never seems to be a problem, thankfully. Dawn will hug Zoey, warm and tight and rocking on her heels, making the two of them sway in place, a slow dance with no music except their combined heartbeats. Everything else falls away, and it feels that the two of them are the only people in the world.

Zoey feels safe and content in Dawn’s arms. She hopes Dawn feels the same.

With how long their hugs tend to be, maybe…Maybe Dawn thinks so, too.

It’s a thought that makes something small and fluttery bloom in Zoey’s chest. That she can be someone that Dawn can depend on, that Dawn can find comfort in, that she can trust.

Whenever Dawn pulls away from their long hugging sessions, she’ll smile slightly at Zoey, murmuring a timid little ‘ _thanks_ ’ that makes the heart in her chest do a bout of gymnastics. And Zoey, unable to ever hide her fondness for her best friend and blatant crush, will let her mouth turn into a gooey smile as she gives a quiet ‘ _no problem_ ’. As if Zoey would be willing to hug just _anyone_ , comfort anyone else in the way she does for Dawn.

The other girl’s smile will brighten, just a bit. Like the dawn’s light breaking through the horizon, soft and tentative and beautiful, broadcasting the hope of a new day. And Zoey will still find it gorgeous, this smile, even so subdued and fragile. Maybe finds it even more gorgeous _because_ it’s so fractured and fragile, but Dawn’s still strong enough to find it in herself to smile anyways.

Even when defeated and at her lowest, Dawn’s still as brilliant as her name. She just doesn’t realize it.

Thankfully, Zoey does. And maybe that’s enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a comment if you like this pairing! This is a rarepair in this fandom, I think. People love shipping Dawn with every boy imaginable, even though she has the most chemistry with Zoey.


End file.
